LabattBlue

So you've never heard of trades occurring in the off-season, especially immediately prior to the draft? There are bigger names moved in the off-season. Here is the list leading up to last years draft. Stafford and Roy have a greater chance of moving in the off-season versus the trade deadline... http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=566996

I am not happy with the multi-year deal McCormick got, and Kaleta doesn't deserve a similar contract. How come other teams can find great fourth liners for under 1 mil, but the Sabres can't?

...plus Paille was voted OHL's best body checker! :o

:lol: I am not sure why this would surprise anyone. LIndy being Lindy.

Bernier is the perfect example of that!

I though the Sabres were at the 50 contract max?

I wouldn't get too excited or upset about the lines tomorrow because all it will take is one bad period of hockey for Lindy to mix it up...again and again and again. Yes all coaches change lines. I just think Lindy has an extremely itchy trigger finger. It is what it is.

Being the best center on the team, and being a true #1 center are two different things. Me thinks your expectations for Hodgson are just a tad high.

That that I expect Pegs to become OSP 2.0, but lets see how many seasons of 10+ mil losses he is willing to absorb before proclaiming that he will spend, spend and spend some more.

I've stated this before...there is always a GM out there who looks at Stafford's skill set, looks at the 30 goal season, see the flashes, and is convinced he can turn him into a 30 goal scorer year in and year out. 4 mil is a lot, but not for teams at the salary cap floor desperate for help. When did he say this?

Nobody is saying he was brought in here to become a #1 center but you. Why don't you let it play out for a season or two before crowning him with the title of #1 center.

I wouldn't count on Pegula being okay with burying Darcy's a mistake of his in the minors. It was done with Kotalik and Morrisson, but they were both on their final contract years.

D&B have been gone for 5 years. It takes this long to solve the problem?

OSP may have controlled the purse strings, but do you believe he ordered Regier to ignore the center position for years on end?

As much as I like yesterday's deals, it was Regier's doing that landed us in this mess. D&B have been gone for 5 years, and the center position has been a mess since the day they left....and this includes thinking Leino was the answer when he really wanted no part of the center position, and hanging on to Connolly and Roy year after year waiting for them to make the jump to the next level. Therefore, Regier should still be fired!

I think(HOPE) the Sabres still look to trade Roy and Stafford in the offseason, and either sign a FA center to play on a scoring line, or make a trade for one. I am not talking about the Getzlaf type dreams that happen here. Instead more of a 50 point guy with some size and willingness to play physical(I'm not talking about fighting). Same type of player as a replacement for Stafford. Not putting line combos together, I'd go something like this... Top 6 - Vanek, Pominville, Hodgson, Ennis, <replacement for Stafford>, <replacement for Roy> Bottom 6-8 - Gerbe, Kaleta, Leino, Tropp, Foligno, McCormick, two vets...Hecht if he can return to health & another center to replace Gaustad. Defense - Myers, Erhroff, Regehr, Weber, Sekera, McNabb(trade Leopold), and find a guy to be the 7th defenseman. Goalie - Miller(I guess you give him another year to see if he can find his game) & Enroth In addition to this, I would keep the two firsts and two seconds, and find a center(preferably with the top pick), a very good goalie prospect, and two 2nd line forwards like the replacement for Stafford I described above. Coaches - Nobody on current staff. Clean house.

I know that. I'm not sure what your point is.

It doesn't matter how many points a team has when it comes to determining their chances of winning the lottery. If you finish last with 2 points or finish last with 60 points, you still have the same odds. These are the odds from last year. I don't think it changes from year to year, so the CBJ have a 25% chance of having their ball drawn, but they also maintain the #1 spot if none of the next 4 teams wins the lottery as no team can move up more than 4 spots. Edmonton - 25.0% Colorado – 18.8% Florida – 14.2% N.Y. Islanders - 10.7% Ottawa – 8.1% Atlanta – 6.2% Columbus – 4.7% New Jersey - 3.6% Boston (from Toronto) - 2.7% Minnesota – 2.1% Colorado (conditional/optional from St. Louis) - 1.5% Carolina – 1.1% Calgary – 0.8% Dallas – 0.5%

I like the trade a lot. That being said, you are way off base with the above comment . Neither Tropp or Foligno have anywhere near the offensive skills that Kassian brings to the table. Unless there is a dramatic change in their development, Foligno and Tropp are both bottom 6 guys. You do know that the NHL holds a lottery prior to the draft, correct?

Winning? I thought a palace of a locker room would seal the deal? :rolleyes:

After dinner, a nap and several hours to think about this. Some thoughts... 1. The Sabres needed scoring line centers...especially if they decide to trade Roy in the off-season. 2. Hodgson has low penalty minute and hit totals, but so does Brad Richards who everyone(including myself) was drueling over in the off-season. They key is for Darcy to find someone in the off-season who can play a two way physical game in the top 6(what we all wanted Stafford to be). 3. Kassian's lack of physical play both in Buffalo and in Rochester(from what has been reported) was disappointing to say the least. I have also read things previously that stated that Kassian wasn't even overly physical in the OHL(I am talking about body checking, not fighting). 4. Is Kassian a ticking time bomb or a kid who had a couple of ugly incidents in juniors? 5. The Sabres needed some top end skill in the forward ranks(especially center) and they got it. 6. I am not sure if Hodgson is more of a goal scorer than a playmaker, but his OHL totals were about 50/50 in terms of goals and assists. I am hoping he can become a playmaking center who can turn Vanek into a 50 goal scorer. 7. Kassian impressed me with his passing skills, and his ability to control the puck along the boards. Not much else, but the sample size is so small that it is hard to gauge what his upside is. Bottom line...I love this trade. I hate to give up Kassian, but the Sabres were in such dire straights for a scoring center who can play NOW that they had to give up something decent in return. The top 6/7 that will finish the season(Vanek, Pominville, Roy, Ennis, Leino, Hodgson & Stafford), cannot be the same come October. It is just too soft. It needs to change! Darcy needs at least one hard nosed winger to add to the mix.

Cody Hodgson on my team. Championship here I come!!!! :)

I don't see how. Kassian had top 6 potential. Foligno has bottom six potential....hopefully 3rd line. That said, I am letting this trade settle with me until this evening

I am also on a Chipotle kick. The chicken or steak bowl is more bang for the buck than the burrito! All of a sudden, I am hungry. :rolleyes:

:cry: Holy cow! All of a sudden I don't feel so bad...and I also fall into the same middle class problem you stated above.